Starting a new term in education is daunting at any age, but for adult learners it’s often a self-mission to prove that it’s never to late to learn.
It’s no different for adult learner, Lubna Tahir. The 40-something-year-old is due to begin an art course designed for keen learners just like Lubna, and who are from passionate about working creatively, and using creativity as a powerful tool to enhance mental health and wellbeing.
Lubna, who is from Lahore in Pakistan, is an art tutor at No. 93 Wellbeing Centre where she runs weekly drop-in art sessions and even led art classes online during the pandemic for an art gallery.
The creative said her passion for art begins close to home: “I take my main source of inspiration from my family; I’m from four generations of an artist family. My dad, my granddad… they were all teaching art.
“So, when I moved here, I started teaching art and I’ve done my Master’s in art too, where I looked at practicing painting from my country.
“Teaching art is in my blood, and I’m a born artist so the only thing I know is art.”
After completing several different courses with Manchester Adult Education Service (MAES) over the last eight years, the Harpurhey resident believes her new venture in art therapy was almost a “rite of passage”.
The mother-of-two has lived in Manchester since 2016 and alongside her sought-after art classes, she also regularly volunteers at Manchester Art Gallery to keep herself engaged in the arts in the city she now calls home.
She said: “I help people to start to live life again through art. I do art therapies, everything related with art and how we can heal through art.”
The opportunity to give back to Manchester’s art community came after Lubna decided to begin Talk English Classes in 2017 with MAES for adults who want to learn English or to sharpen their English language speaking skills.
After being introduced to Manchester Art Gallery through her Talk English course, it was her time spent there that proved to be the biggest source of inspiration for Lubna, along with the rich culture she brought with her from Pakistan.
She described it as “infusing everything” from modern, cultural British influences to create something new. Once her course is complete, Lubna hopes to use her newfound skills and confidence to be able to teach this fusion of art to her students.
She said: “Doing this [new] art course is going to polish what I already know and help me navigate my way through teaching and learning art in my lessons through the MYRIAD Spark Training Programme. I will share this with my students and make my classes something they want to keep coming back to. The way I see it is I’m serving the community with art.”
Lubna’s lessons are a vibrant tapestry of art techniques and forms, ranging from painting and mosaic to abstract painting, still life, landscape, acrylic, oil and watercolour painting.
She also delves into the art of designing, card-making, jewellery-making, collage, calligraphy and decoupage. These creative methods form the foundation of her teaching, and she is eager to expand her expertise in these art forms.
Lubna believes that her endless passion for the arts has been possible because of the support from her family both in Britain and Pakistan, despite her father now having passed away.
The creative talent, who is also this year’s ‘Be Proud’ award winner, encourages others to always keep their “urge to learn” as thousands of adult learners prepare to enrol on their courses this year.
She said: “In our lives on our journey, we must learn things and explore. Even though I am a born artist and have a strong background in art, there is still so much I have not yet learnt about my craft. I feel I need to learn more about different cultures that can influence my work and my teaching. For those starting their courses this September too, it’s never too late to learn.”
Every year, thousands of students enrol in MAES courses in centres across the city to learn new and refined skills in Maths, English or IT and leave with hard-earned qualifications for themselves or for the betterment of their careers.
To find out more about MAES courses and enrolment and to book an appointment with an advisor please visit www.manadulted.ac.uk.
